Luke.1.1 - Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us,
Luke.1.2 - Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word;
Luke.1.3 - It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,
Luke.1.4 - That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.
Luke.1.5 - There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
Luke.1.6 - And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
Luke.1.7 - And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.
Luke.1.8 - And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course,
Luke.1.9 - According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
Luke.1.10 - And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.
Luke.1.11 - And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
Luke.1.12 - And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
Luke.1.13 - But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
Luke.1.14 - You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice with you at his birth,
Luke.1.15 - For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
Luke.1.16 - And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
Luke.1.17 - And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
Luke.1.18 - And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
Luke.1.19 - And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.
Luke.1.20 - And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
Luke.1.21 - And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple.
Luke.1.22 - And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.
Luke.1.23 - And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.
Luke.1.24 - And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,
Luke.1.25 - Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.
Luke.1.26 - And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
Luke.1.27 - To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
Luke.1.28 - And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
Luke.1.29 - And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
Luke.1.30 - And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
Luke.1.31 - And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
Luke.1.32 - He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
Luke.1.33 - And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Luke.1.34 - Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
Luke.1.35 - And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
Luke.1.36 - And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
Luke.1.37 - For nothing is impossible with God."
Luke.1.38 - And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
Luke.1.39 - And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;
Luke.1.40 - And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
Luke.1.41 - And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
Luke.1.42 - And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
Luke.1.43 - And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
Luke.1.44 - For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
Luke.1.45 - And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
Luke.1.46 - And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
Luke.1.47 - And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
Luke.1.48 - For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
Luke.1.49 - For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
Luke.1.50 - And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
Luke.1.51 - He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
Luke.1.52 - He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
Luke.1.53 - He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
Luke.1.54 - He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;
Luke.1.55 - As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
Luke.1.56 - And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.
Luke.1.57 - Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son.
Luke.1.58 - And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.
Luke.1.59 - And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.
Luke.1.60 - And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John.
Luke.1.61 - And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.
Luke.1.62 - And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called.
Luke.1.63 - And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all.
Luke.1.64 - And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.
Luke.1.65 - And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea.
Luke.1.66 - And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.
Luke.1.67 - And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,
Luke.1.68 - Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
Luke.1.69 - And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
Luke.1.70 - As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
Luke.1.71 - That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
Luke.1.72 - To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;
Luke.1.73 - The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,
Luke.1.74 - That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,
Luke.1.75 - In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
Luke.1.76 - And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
Luke.1.77 - To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,
Luke.1.78 - Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
Luke.1.79 - To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Luke.1.80 - And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.



What does Luke chapter 1 mean?
Luke's gospel opens with a direct counter to claims that Christian belief is based in "blind faith." Before the Gospels were written, men like Paul (1 Corinthians 1:1–2), Peter (1 Peter 1:1–2), and James (James 1:1) were circulating letters to fellow believers. Luke is adding his voice to an existing body of proof: the accounts of eyewitnesses and others who had first-hand knowledge of Jesus Christ. Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke was not a direct witness of Jesus' earthly ministry. He was a co-worker with the apostle Paul. This would have brought him into contact with many key figures in Jesus' life. Luke's gospel is a deliberate, researched, organized, confidence-boosting record of Christ's active life. Though it's officially dedicated to Theophilus—otherwise an anonymous figure—the scholarly approach used by Luke is valuable even to us, today (Luke 1:1–4).

Old Testament priests were drawn only from the descendants of Aaron. These families were divided into 24 groups, who would rotate their weekly service in the tabernacle or temple. One such priest is Zechariah, married to Elizabeth, and both are known for their godly lives. However, they are aging and have never had children. In the ancient world, this was not only a financial hardship, but also socially embarrassing. Zechariah is alone offering incense in the temple when the angel Gabriel appears and announces that Elizabeth will have a child. Zechariah's immediate reaction is to doubt that this will happen. As a result, he is stricken mute—and likely deaf (Luke 1:62)—until the prophecy is fulfilled. As predicted, Elizabeth conceives, and the child she bears will come to be known as John the Baptist. He will be an important herald of Jesus Christ (Luke 1:5–25).

Gabriel later delivers an even more miraculous announcement. Mary is an unmarried virgin, legally arranged to be married to a man named Joseph. The angel refers to her as "highly favored," as a passive recipient of God's grace. Inaccurate translations such as "full of grace" imply Mary was an active source of grace. This young woman will bear God incarnate, in the form of Jesus Christ. This will fulfill prophecies that Messiah would be virgin born (Isaiah 7:14) into the house of David (Isaiah 9:6–7; 2 Samuel 7:12–16). Mary's reaction is to wonder "how," not "if," the message would come true. Her humble, submissive acceptance is admirable. The circumstances of her pregnancy would have been awkward in the eyes of nonbelievers, and the pressure of this role was obvious (Luke 1:26–38).

That Mary's pregnancy through the Holy Spirit will happen immediately is confirmed when she visits Elizabeth. As soon as Mary's greeting is heard, the unborn John the Baptist moves in the womb, suddenly and dramatically. Elizabeth shouts in celebration, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, referring to Mary's pregnancy though Mary has not yet made any such announcement. Elizabeth's compliment to Mary is a subtle contrast to Zechariah's moment of doubt (Luke 1:39–45).

Mary then replies with a song of praise which reflects both love for God and familiarity with the Old Testament. She refers to God as her Savior, acknowledging that she, too, has sin which needs to be forgiven. She praises God for His power, mercy, protection, and faithfulness. In doing so, she echoes the mother of Samuel, Hannah, who prayed for a son from God (1 Samuel 1:11; 2:1). Her words quote some Old Testament passages (Psalm 103:17), directly reference others (Deuteronomy 5:10; Daniel 4:37; Obadiah 1:4) and agree with many more (Psalm 132:11; Isaiah 13:11; 1 Samuel 2:. This song is sometimes called "The Magnificat," from the Latin translation of its first words (Luke 1:46–55).

Elizabeth was six months pregnant when Mary came to visit. Mary stays for three months, which likely means she was there for the birth of John the Baptist. Scripture does not say if Joseph knows about her condition, yet. It's possible he was unaware until she came back and began to show signs of expecting. Matthew clarifies (Matthew 1:18–22) that Joseph's initial, disappointed reaction is changed thanks to divine reassurance. At this point, they are still unmarried, so Mary returns to "her" home, likely meaning that of her father (Luke 1:56).

When Zechariah and Elizabeth's son is finally born, there is great celebration. Old Testament law required a boy to be circumcised eight days after birth (Leviticus 12:3). This was also when the baby would be formally named. By the New Testament era, Jewish families were in the habit of using traditional, family names. When Elizabeth mentions the name "John," everyone is confused. Zechariah confirms this in writing—and is immediately freed from his punishment of silence. This adds to the people's sense that the child, soon to be known as John the Baptist, is meant for an important mission (Luke 1:57–66).

Zechariah declares a prophecy about the mission of his son, John. This combines direct quotes from the Old Testament with echoes of prophetic promises. Zechariah celebrates that he has seen these things occur. He realizes that John's purpose is to be the herald of Jesus Christ (Luke 1:67–79).

John's life will be as unusual as his beginnings. Rather than living a "normal" childhood, he seems drawn to spending time alone in the wilderness (Isaiah 40:3). His spiritual strength, public memory of his miraculous birth (Luke 1:65–66), and personality quirks (Mark 1:4–6) likely magnify interest as he begins to preach (Luke 3:2–3; Matthew 3:4–6). After his first public appearance, John will consistently maintain that his role is secondary (John 1:19–23), as a herald of Christ, and that he is not the Messiah (Luke 1:80).

John's birth concludes the longest chapter, by verses, in the New Testament. Original manuscripts were written without chapter or verse divisions. These were added centuries later. Modern readers—and commenters—are often perplexed as to why tradition did not separate this passage into two or even three sections. As it stands, Luke chapter 1 is longer than 7 entire books of the New Testament; its 80 verses are more than the smallest 4 books put together.

Chapter 2 moves on to the birth of Jesus, a passage often recited and well-known, even to those unfamiliar with the rest of the Bible.

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